Are CCO Courses Updated Every Year?

The short answer

When the annual code set and guideline updates come out, we review the parts of our courses, quizzes, and exams that depend on specific codes or guidelines. If a change affects how we teach a topic or how a question is answered, we address it so you are not misled. We do not rebuild an entire course each year, because most of what a course teaches does not change from year to year.

What changes each year, and what doesn’t

Most course content is evergreen. Code sets change every year, but the skills and concepts you need to code correctly stay largely the same.

Usually stays the same	Changes each year
Coding conventions and how to use your code books	Specific codes added, deleted, or revised
Reading and interpreting documentation	Some official guideline wording
Anatomy, terminology, and pathophysiology	Page numbers, tables, and appendix locations in the manuals
Guideline structure and core coding principles

We do not update courses for page-number, cover, or layout changes in the manuals. If a table or appendix has moved in your book, look for it in its new location.

How we cover yearly changes

When a change affects what you need to know, we cover it in the way that fits the size of the change:

Our annotated ICD-10-CM guidelines and CPT update supplements explain the changes that affect coding, so you stay current without waiting for a course to be rebuilt.
We add an addendum to the course when a change affects a specific lesson.
Updated lessons. For larger changes, we update or re-record the lesson.
Quizzes and exams. We update questions when a code or guideline change affects the correct answer.

Why some lessons show an earlier year

Some videos and lessons still carry a previous year’s label. That means the core lesson has not changed and is still accurate. There is no need to worry when you see one.

Your code books keep you current

Your code books are the most up-to-date part of your study materials, so always use current manuals with your course.

Use current-year manuals for your exam. The AAPC bases all of its exams on the current calendar year’s code sets, and upcoming-year books are not permitted.
Know when new books come out. ICD-10 code sets take effect October 1, and the manuals are usually available one to two months earlier. CPT and HCPCS take effect January 1, and the new books are usually advertised from mid-October through November.
You don’t need a new course textbook every year. Course textbook content changes very little from year to year, and we cover major changes with addendums or updated lessons.

The recommended books for each course are listed on our Books page.

Found something that looks outdated?

Please let us know so we can review it:

Log in to the CCO Portal.
Click the CCO Support button in the bottom right corner of the screen.
Choose Report a bug, or go to My support room.
Include the course name and the lesson or question that looks outdated.